Jarida - Peter Pan
by Frie-Ice
Summary: A Jarida-Peter Pan story with Jack as Peter Pan, Merida as Wendy, Baby Tooth as Tinker Bell and Pitch as Caption Hook, with a few twists and turns from few versions of the story, along with a few of my own touches to this tale and something's from Brave and RotG. (The image wasn't done by me!)
1. Prologue

_Deep in the city of London a small boy with brown hair and eyes, over heard his parents talking about when he becomes a man and that his mother was having a baby. Feeling that his parents were making him grow up so they could replace him with their new child, he ran away from home. He vowed to never come back and that he'll never grow up!_

 _He ran to the garden park and then slipped and fell into the pond. He thought that he was going to die, but a small green light came towards him and told him to think happy thoughts. He did so and reached his hand out to the light, it pulled him out and when he reached the surface, he realized that he was hovering above the pond and that the green light was a small fairy._

 _His hair had turned white and his eyes were now blue and he now has powers to control the snow and has a staff to help him master his new powers. The fairy was named, Baby Tooth and told him that she is now his fairy and that there is a place where he can never grow up and where he can always stay a kid. A place called Neverland!_

 _The two became friends and the boy became the leader of a group of kids who had tried to follow their parents and where sent to Neverland when they failed to find them._

 _But he also made enemies with the black pirates of nightmares when he froze half of the crew's nightmares and cut off the hand of the ship's captain, Captain Pitch Black Hook! Pitch Black vowed that he'll have his revenge by killing the boy. The boy, his young army and the four Neverland lords have been fighting the pirates for years and they say that the black hooked captain will fall when four young children come to their island!_

 _The boy is known as Jack Frost, leader of the Lost Children and has a habit of coming and going from Neverland with his fairy to hear stories from people, especially from a young red-headed girl!_


	2. Ch1 The Boy By The Window

Deep in the city of London a young Scottish girl was telling her three little brothers a story about pirates and how a young boy always gets away from the captain's wrath. The girl is named Merida and tonight she was telling her triplet brothers, Hubert, Hamish and Harris one of her stories, with their two dogs for comfort. There are times when Merida's stories can scare them.

"Monsters known as nightmares that can take on the form of horses and can freeze you in fear as they consume you with your deepest fears" as Merida continued her story, "Except those who serve their master," she paused before going on, "PITCH BLACK HOOK! Captain of the black pirates and fears no one, except for one, the bear that the brave Jack Frost had fed the captain's hand to!"

The brothers huddled into each other and their dogs as their sister paused her story again. Her stories had never given them nightmares; they love her tales and acted them out to make the stories more fun. Once Merida got to the fighting in the story the brothers started to act it out. The dogs barked and jumped about playfully as Merida continued.

"What happened next?" Hubert asked.

"Tell us!" both Harris and Hamish begged.

"With his staff at the ready, he turned the hooked pirate's men into frozen statues," Merida answered, "To make it a fair fight and so it could only be the two of them!"

As the children were playing, a figure stood by the window to their room, watching them. But one of their dogs spotted the figure; the figure spotted the dog too and raised an eyebrow. The children stopped playing after one of their dogs started to bark at the window; the four went up to it to see what their dog was barking at, but there was nothing there except snow on the windowsill!

So the four decided to forget about it and to go back to what they were doing, but then they heard their mother calling them to get ready for bed. They had school tomorrow and their uncles were coming down to visit them!

"Mum," Merida called from the door, "We haven't finished the story!"

"You can finish it tomorrow night!" their mother, Elinor replied.

"But we want to know what happens in the end!" all three brothers begged.

"You can all dream and guess what happens and see who's right tomorrow!"

Merida and her brothers didn't bother to argue back and just did what their mother told them to do! Once they were ready, they all climbed into bed and went to sleep! Once they were fast asleep, the figure from before peered down into the window to see them, he locked his eyes on the girl.

He had heard stories from other people in the past, but he really liked this house and the girl's stories the best. He opened the window and went inside to get a closer look at the female story teller. This wasn't the first time he's done something like this, he had often gone into other people's houses to see the story teller he had heard stories from in the past! Sometimes he takes them, mostly females to his home for an adventure and so his men can hear their stories in person. But the people he had met and took with him forgot him after he took them home and say that he and the time they had were just a dream! Having every person he had ever met forget him, made him sad and feels like there was no point in showing people his homeland! The memories of those people hurt him and he has been thinking of stopping coming to watch people play and tell stories, that was until he had seen and heard Merida's.

The girl looked beautiful in her sleep and he felt like touching her to feel her soft skin and wild hair, but then the dog from earlier spotted him and started to bark at him. The boy jumped away from the girl, as the other dog woke up. The two dogs started to bark at him and he knew that he had to make a brake for the window to escape. As he leaped forward, one of the dogs stomped onto his shadow and the boy unattached from it. He was about to get it back but the door to the room opened and he was seen by the children's mother!

She was one of the people the boy had taken with him when she was young, but the boy didn't recognise her from her being all grown up, but she recognised and remembered him, kind of.

"Boy!" Elinor tried to stop him. But the boy jumped over her head and then flew out the window! "JACK!" she cried, but the boy was long gone! "It wasn't a dream!" Elinor whispered to herself as she remembered her childhood and what she thought was a dream about the white headed boy!


	3. Ch2 Come With Me!

The next day after school the children went down the street with their parents to see a show at the theatre. Merida wasn't into the things her mother is, but her uncles, Macintosh, MacGuffin and Dingwall have come down from Scotland to visit the DunBroch family with their three sons. Her cousins and uncles weren't interested in her stories, but they haven't seen each other for a long time and they are only down for two weeks before they have to go back to Scotland.

The show the Scottish family went to see is about a young prince from their homeland who had followed his own path and selfish pride that lead his kingdom to war and ruin and how a brave archer and his four legged friend stopped him. Merida's father, Fergus had told his sons and daughter the story many times, so the DunBroch siblings know it off by heart.

The story of the selfish prince helps people to remember that following your own path isn't always the best way, especially when it is full of selfishness, greed and pride. While the archer and his friend teach people to never judge a book by its cover and how a powerful friend can change everything and bring back what was taken.

Once the show was over they all headed back to the DunBroch's house, Elinor and Fergus thought that they should have a nice chat and to have some time together with their guests before they head back to their hotel! Merida told the rest of her story to her brothers and the boys acted it out to entertain their guests.

"The staff was out of Jack's reach as the pirate captain kicked it away from him while he was in his grasp" Merida continued.

The triplets acted it out as Merida kept telling the story, they were happy that they got to hear the rest of the story form yesterday night! Their guests found it a little interesting and could see that the girl has a gift for making up and telling stories!

The truth was that their uncles didn't just come down to visit their relatives, they were planning on sending their sons to a boarding school that their family has been going to for years and wanted to ask the DunBrochs if they want to send Merida down there as well. After hearing Merida's story, they knew that the school was perfect for her if she takes a writing course!

Soon Merida and her brothers came to the end of their story as the hero triumphs over his villain and gets away!

"The feared captain of nightmare failed again to get his enemies' head, as the brave Jack freezes the pirate's feet to the deck to break free," Merida was about to finish, "And with the pirates defeated and one of Jack's youngest men saved, they fly back to their hideout in the thick forest like jungle. And that is the end of another tale of the brave Jack Frost!"

Everyone in the room clapped as Merida and her three brothers bowed. Normally the four would go to bed after finishing a story, but since they had guests they were allowed to stay up for a little while longer.

"Fine tale lass" Macintosh clapped.

"Where do you get these stories from, Merida?" Macintosh's son, wee Macintosh asked.

"From my mother!" Merida replied.

"Yes," as Elinor explained, after everyone in the room started to stare at her, "I have been told stories about a young boy with white hair and blue frost eyes from my grandmother and other people. They say that when you leave your window open while telling a story, a figure with a long wooden hooked staff sits next to your window and listens," memories of long ago came back to her, "If he keeps coming to your window to hear your stories and likes them, he'll take you off your feet and then bring you to a place of light, fun, adventure, laughter and of people who wanted to meet the story teller they were told of. But it is also a place of danger, pirates, nightmare monsters and a beastly monster!"

"A monster?" MacGuffin asked.

His son, Wee MacGuffin said something after him, but no one knew what he was trying to say. They tried not to stare at him to say 'what did you say', 'can you repeat that' or 'why can't you speak more clearly?'

"Yes," Elinor continued, "But people claim that the boy and his home land are nothing but a dream. I had a dream of me taking his hand, flying through the stars and landing on his island. We spent our time there together and then he takes me home. I woke up the next day and I realised that it was a dream. There was no proof that I had left my room that night. My mother had checked on me before she went to sleep, nothing in the room was moved and the window was shut. I've told myself that it was just a dream and nothing more!"

"How many times did you have this dream?" Dingwall asked.

"Only once, I only had memories of that dream after that and I haven't start thinking or telling it to other people until Merida was born!"

"She told me her dream as a story and I've turned it into many other stories for my brothers" Merida added.

"Ever thought about becoming a writer, Lass?" MacGuffin asked.

"I have been thinking about it, but I also want to be an archer and travel to have great adventures like the ones in my stories!"

"Then the academy is perfect for you, lass!" Dingwall chuckled.

"What?" the DunBroch siblings wondered what he meant by that.

"The academy! The one our family has been going to for generations!"

"We've being planning to send our sons there!" MacGuffin added.

"And we've been wondering if Merida can join them. You know, bring honour to her family and so she can have a bright future!" Macintosh finished.

"What?" Merida was shocked, "DAD, MUM!" Merida looked for their support.

Fergus could see that Merida wants him to say something, but couldn't find the words. So he turned to his wife for help. Merida didn't want to leave London, her family, brothers and their adventures in their room behind. She hoped that her mother can help her to stay, rather than to go to the 'academy'.

"I know that the academy will do some good for Merida," Elinor started, "And we have agreed to send our children there for a bright future, but we haven't discussed this as a family, made any arrangements or know if it is what she wants yet!"

"I know it isn't," Merida snapped, "I belong with my brothers and not halfway around the world!"

"Boys can you go upstairs," Elinor asked her sons, "We need some time to talk!"

The brothers looked at their sister like it was for the last time before going up. Merida could feel their pain in her heart; she didn't want to leave them or the times and stories they shared together.

"Merida," Elinor started, "I know that this is a big shock for you and I know that I should have told you sooner, but if you want to create a future for yourself, you need to make sacrifices and leave those you love!"

"You're taking their side?" Merida was shocked to hear this.

"I'm not saying that, but it would be good for you. Not too many people are kind to women, unless they make their names into something!"

"Like if you become a famous writer with your stories!" MacGuffin added.

"Just think about it," Elinor suggested, "We can't have adventures or make the choices we really want if we stay in one place forever!"

"I already made my decision," Merida raised her voice, "And it is for me to stay here and not to go to a stupid academy!"

Merida stormed up to her room in anger and sadness; she couldn't believe that her parents want to send her away. Do they still love her? Elinor wanted to go after her, but Fergus stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder to say 'give her some time to calm down!'

The hour was getting late, the dogs still needed to be walked and their guests need to get back to their hotel. Elinor and Fergus thought that they should walk them down there with their dogs; so they can do both.

Fergus went up to tuck the little ones to bed; he figured that Merida didn't want to see her mother right now. As he entered the room, he caught the triplets sitting with their sister on her bed talking; they stopped when their father came in.

"You okay?" he asked his daughter.

"No!"

The boys went to sit on their beds to make room for their dad, so he can sit with their sister.

"I'm sorry that ay didn't say anything earlier" he apologised.

"That's alright!" she replied, "I'm just a little...surprised and shocked," Merida let out a little chuckle before saying anything more, "At first I thought that they came down to see us, like a family should. But all they really came down here for is just to send me away!"

"I was surprised too. They have come to see us, lass and they came to talk about it with us too. Its where I met your mother and you four wouldn't be born if we hadn't gone there!"

"I want to stay here, where I belong!"

"Your mother had thought the same thing too, but something helped her to understand that she can't forever stay in one place. I think it was that dream she had about the flying boy!"

"Jack?"

"I think that's his name. She didn't talk about him much and when she did, I could see in her eyes that she wonders if it was really a dream. I don't believe in magic, but I did my best for her and from the time we spent together and on our graduation day I asked her to be Mrs DunBroch!"

"You asked her to marry you there?"

"I did!"

"What did she say?"

"She said 'aye' and I became the happiest man ever. Not long after our wedding, I became a loving father to our little girl!"

"Dad!" Merida gave her dad a little push from what he said and right after both he and his sons chuckled.

"And do you want to know why she said 'aye'?" Fergus asked.

"She loved you!" Merida guessed.

"Aye and she was carrying you!"

Merida looked at him, she thought that her father was pulling her leg, but after seeing the look in his eyes, she knew that it was true. She had never thought that her mother would do something like that while she was still at school, having a night like that would end her up with a child.

"She would never do a thing like that!" Merida told her father, still not able to believe what she was told.

"We did, it was her who asked me to come into her room and she didn't tell me until three weeks later, the day before I asked her." Fergus knew that he needed to finish the conversation soon. "I know that this is hard for you lass, but there are times when we have to grow up and start heading into the world. You don't have to go if you don't want to, your uncles came down to give their sons some free time and to get to know one another before they go; and they came to get to know you better!" Merida looked at her father to say that she's still not going. "Your mother and I are just going to take our guests to their hotel while we also walk the dogs, the door will be locked, oh and remember don't let your pride get the better of you, or you'll end up like the selfish prince of ruins!"

Merida giggled before kissing her dad good night. Soon after the four were tucked in, Fergus, his wife, dogs and guests went out the door. Fergus locked it behind him while Elinor looked up at the window to the children's room. What had happened that night still troubled her, but Fergus put his hand onto her shoulder to calm her worries with a smile. After she smiled back, they all headed down the lane.

What they didn't know was while they were leaving the house, a figure was watching them from the roof. He and his little friend had left something at the house and they needed to get it back.

The window was locked this time and they were having trouble opening it without waking the children up. They tossed, turned and looked up and down the window three times. Not wanting to risk waking the girl and her brothers, his friend, Baby Tooth, a small green fairy tried to help him.

Baby Tooth's small size helped her to find a way in and not long after she did, the small pixie opened the window from the inside. Once it was opened, her friend flew in and quietly put his staff next to the window.

Lucky for them the dogs weren't in the room to catch him, and the woman who had seen him before was out. Jack didn't know why she knew his name, well he had a feeling why, but it couldn't be; it couldn't be her. She called him 'boy' at first and looked like it was her first time seeing him, so it couldn't have been Elinor that saw him.

But he didn't have all night to think about last night, the children could wake up, the parents and their dogs would be home soon and he needed to find his shadow before any of that happens.

Jack and Baby Tooth quietly started to look for the shadow. Who knows what will happen if they go back empty handed and Jack's shadow floating around the house could cause trouble for both of them. They looked through all of the drawers in the room and even a toy box to see if it was in there.

As the search continued, Baby Tooth saw a locked drawer moving like something was trying to get out. She flew in next to it to peer into the keyhole and as she did, she saw what both she and her friend were looking for and started to call Jack over. Jack noticed Baby Tooth calling him over to the drawer and flew up to her.

"What is it?" he asked her.

Baby Tooth pointed to the drawer excitedly and saying in her pixie voice that she has found the shadow. Jack opened the drawer to see if it was in there and as soon as he did, his shadow came flying out! Without thinking Jack started to chase after it before they both wake up the children and accidentally locked Baby Tooth in the drawer while she was trying to help him.

It took a while, but Jack finally caught it and made a loud thump as he landed next to the girl's bed. Merida jolted up as she heard the thud; it gave her quite a scare. She was about to lie back down, but something caught her eye, a staff that was sat next to the window.

She looked over the side of her bed and saw a boy with white hair and blue eyes, lying on the ground holding some kind of moving cloth. But for some odd reason she feels like she knows who he is?

Jack Frost of Neverland and the leader of the Lost children.

"Jack?" she uttered, "Jack Frost?"

The boy nodded. Jack knew that it was too late; he had been seen and might have some explaining to do. His shadow tried to get away, but he kept his grip on it to prevent it from slipping away.

"Are you okay?" having no idea what the boy from her stories is doing here.

"Just trying to reattach my shadow!" Jack replied as he tied the legs of his shadow to his ankles.

"I could sew it back on for you" Merida offered.

Seeing no other choice Jack accepted her offer and did his best to keep his shadow from running away as Merida went to get a needle and thread. Jack was okay with the idea, but he was starting to have second thoughts as he saw the needle.

"It might hurt a little," she warned, "But it will be worth it, I promise!"

It did hurt, but Jack did his best to ignore the pain and not to cry out. He didn't want to wake her brothers and to worry his friend. Where did Baby Tooth get to anyway?

Baby Tooth watched from the drawer that she was locked in. She was glad that Jack got his shadow back, but wasn't happy with the girl that was sticking a small sharp object in and out of his feet.

Soon it was done and Jack sprinkled some of his ice over his feet to make them heal faster from the stinging. Merida couldn't believe that she could witness something as amazing as watching Jack using his ice powers and helping him to have his shadow again.

Jack flipped up and faced the wall to make sure that he has his shadow back as he moved his arms from side to side. His shadow was back and started to act as a shadow should as it copied him.

Jack was so overjoyed to have it back, he jumped into the air saying; "YES!"

"You can fly!" Merida gasped.

"Yes I can," Jack replied, "And thank you for your help um..."

"Merida!" she introduced herself, "Its Merida DunBroch!"

"Jack Frost, but you already knew that!"

"I know, I was told stories about you and I told my own to my brothers!"

"I know!"

"You Do?" Merida was shocked.

"I come each night to hear them and then go back to tell them to my men!"

"The Lost Children!" Jack nodded. "But why do you like mine?" Merida asked.

"I have heard many stories through many windows," Jack explained, "My men and I love adventures and to have fun with the pirates. But we also like to hear tales of people fighting their foes to give us strength and your stories have helped us a lot."

"How?"

"You put your heart into them and there have been times when your stories kind of came to life in our battles and hearing from you helps us to know what they are going to do and what we should do."

"But how is that possible?"

"Well they say that Neverland is made of Wonders, Hope, Memories and Dreams, but I have been told that it is also made with Fun!"

"We have fun playing and telling them!"

"He was right," Jack said under his breath, "I was chosen!"

"What?" Merida heard him.

"Nothing! It just... Never mind, but thanks for your help!"

Then Jack went to get his staff and was about to leave through the window, but the thought of Baby Tooth stopped him. He didn't know what had happened to her.

"It was nice to finally meet you, Jack" Merida smiled, remembering what is waiting for her. "It was nice to meet the boy from my stories before I grow up!"

"Grow up!" Jack gasped. Then Baby Tooth burst free from the drawer and flew right into Jack.

"It is also nice to meet your fairy," Merida added, right after seeing the small green fairy, "Before I leave London and go to the academy!"

"So this 'academy' means no more stories?" Jack uttered as he rubbed the left side of his cheek.

Merida nodded as tears fell down her face. Jack and Baby Tooth looked at each other and knew what has to be done. The small green fairy still wasn't sure about the girl, but her stories have helped them out a lot.

So Baby Tooth woke the triplets up as Jack grabbed Merida's wrist and dragged her to the window.

"What are you doing?" Merida asked as she was being dragged to the window.

Jack stopped at the window's ledge before turning back to Merida, "Come with me!"

"What?"

"Come with me, so you and your brothers can never grow up and can keep telling your stories!"

The triplets had no idea what was going on, but after seeing Jack and Baby Tooth and hearing Jack's offer, they knew that the hero from their sister's stories has come to save her.

"Are we really coming too?!" the three asked.

Jack nodded and the triplets jumped up and down for joy. Merida was also happy to hear this, but the thoughts of their family and what they would think started to linger on her mind; and also, how are they going to get to Neverland?

"We'll fly," Jack somehow read her mind, "Concentrate on your Wonders, Hopes, Memories and Dreams!"

"And Fun!" Merida added.

The offer Jack was told about by one of the Neverland lords came back to him, but he didn't what to think about it. All he wanted to do was to take Merida and the triplets to Neverland.

"I'll go first!" Hubert cheered, before climbing onto his bed to jump off it. "Sleigh bells, presents and snowing everyday so I don't have to go to school!"

Hubert then jumped into the air, but he was heading to the floor instead of the sky. But Baby Tooth saved him with her pixie dust. After Hubert was cover by it, he stared to hover in the air. The other two brothers couldn't wait to join him.

Hamish started to do the same. "Chocolate, finding eggs and cool fighting tricks!"

Hamish cheered as he jumped and like before, Baby Tooth sprinkled him with her little green dust. Jack started to play with the first two sky born brothers as Harris got really for his turn.

"Losing my first tooth, not having haggis and hearing Merida's first ever story!" Harris ended up doing back flips in the midair as Baby Tooth helped him into the air.

Then it was Merida's turn. She closed her eyes as she started to thinks about dreams after Jack blew Baby Tooth's dust on her.

"Adventure, hitting every target and controlling my own fate!"

Once she opened them, she was hovering above the ground. Merida never thought that she'll ever be flying and holding Jack's hands to keep her straight.

"Come with me!" Jack whispered into her ear.

"But what about Mum?" Merida started to slowly hover back onto the ground.

"And Dad?" Hubert added, as he too started to come back down.

"The boys?" Hamish and Harris thought about their dogs.

Jack knew that he has to tell them. He had wanted to save it until they got there, but...

"There is never ending Christmas!"

"Christmas!" the boys started to hover above the ground again.

"Other fairies," Jack continued, "Dreams coming true, everlasting hope and pirates!"

"Pirates!" the four gasped with joy.

It was official, they had to go. It's not every day that a white haired boy comes and gives you the adventure of a life time. The triplets flew out of the window one by one, while Jack went to pick up his staff. Baby Tooth went out next to keep an eye on the three. Then it was Jack and Merida's turn, Jack took her hand as they flew into the night.

The experience for the DunBroch siblings was like no other. Flying through the night sky and seeing London like they have never seen it before. The triplets jumped on some roofs for fun, which somehow made them fly higher?

Jack tried not to notice, as he still tried not to think about the offer and his fate. He did his best to hide it as he smiled at Merida who was flying beside him and Baby Tooth.

Soon Jack saw the gate way and took the four to perch on one of the hands on Big Ben so he can explain what is about to happen next.

"There it is," Jack pointed to a bright star, "All we have to do is to fly in the moon's light and open the gate way!"

"But how do you open it?" Harris asked.

"Hold on!" Jack hovered as he placed Merida's hand on his ankle. "Hold on to your sister and each other boys!"

Hubert grabbed his sister's ankle while his brothers grabbed his. The four didn't know why they have to hold each other's ankles, but they trust him; Jack has come back and forth from Neverland many times.

As soon as they entered the moon's beam, a bright light appeared and Jack pointed his staff at it. The light surrounded the hook part of his staff and he turned it to the side like he was unlocking a door...

Fergus and Elinor had just come back, but as Fergus was unlocking the door; Elinor looked up into the sky and saw that the window to their children's room was open!

She came rushing up the stairs the moment the door was opened, leaving Fergus confused. But he still followed her to see what was wrong and the moment he went into the Children's room; he knew why. They were gone and the room looked like they had struggled with who ever took them away.

"Please bring them back," Elinor prayed, "Bring them back, Jack."

While Fergus believes they were kidnapped, Elinor believes that the boy from her past as taken them to Neverland. A land filled with adventure and danger!


	4. Ch3 The Beginning Of A New Life

The light from the gate way blinded Merida and her brothers as they entered. They feared that they might fall as they lost their grip on each other; but Jack helped them to land on a cloud.

"You'll get the hang of it" he chuckled as he wipes the cloud puffs off.

As he was dusting himself off, Merida and the triplets gazed upon the large island, waiting for them to explore. On the top of the tallest mountain on the island were golden clouds swirling around it.

The mountain next to it was covered in ice; and they thought they saw rainbow coloured lights on the trees.

In one part of the large forest, near a large cliff stood four tall pedestals with rabbits on them. Hamish claimed that he saw a big rabbit jumping above the trees surrounding the pedestals.

They also caught a glimpse of a building in between the two mountains. Merida did remember her mother telling her about four lords guarding the island and watching over them and those who live there.

Jack kept his eyes on the ice mountain, knowing who lives there and what he wants him to do.

"Where do you live?" Merida's voice brought him back, "Where are you and your men hiding?"

Jack was about to tell them, but Baby Tooth stopped him; and for good reason! The Black hooked captain's ship was under their cloud.

"Let's get a closer look!" Harris jumped to the lower clouds, one by one to get a good look at the pirates.

His brothers followed him and Jack and Merida joined them to make sure they don't get too close and that they weren't seen. Merida and her brothers are still new to flying and the island and fighting pirates. Without a weapon and not much flying practise isn't a good combination for first timers.

The pirates on the ship were keeping it ship shape and defrosting it from the last time Jack had passed by; without knowing that there are kids in the clouds! The captain has been searching the island to find Jack's hideout with no success and Jack keeps delaying their sailing around the island by freezing their ship in the water.

They had just finished getting the last of the ice off their ship; freeing it once again and were bringing the lifeboats back up. The first mate, Shath was putting the equipment they used away; they use them more than they use their weapons. But as Shath was putting things away he sniffled!

But the weather was warm and the cold was meant to go away when they cleared the ice; but here he is getting a cold nose? He wasn't the only one; the other crew members were starting to feel a chill; even the ones who were staying warm the whole time. Then he noticed that some of the clouds looked like they were holding frost and snow in them, in a line from the highest cloud to the lower clouds.

Frost... When he got a closer look through his telescope, he saw four kids he had never seen before. But the fifth and the pixie he saw with them he knew; very well. Jack was back and had brought back four kids! Four kids; that might be the ones from the legend about their fall!

"He's back," he shuddered from the cold, "And he might have brought 'them' with him!"

He ran to the captain's cabin, trying not to slip as the deck was becoming icy again. His captain; which some of his men call Captain Black Hook, was sleeping on his desk; Shath thinks that he might have had too much.

"Captain," he kept his voice to a minimum, "We've cleared the ice sir, but the frost ha-"

One of the captain's shadows came up to him the moment he said the word 'frost!' Ever since Jack had cut Pitch's hand off, the mention of ice and snow made his blood boil with rage; especially the word frost. He despises Jack Frost and would do anything to make him pay.

Pitch lifted his head, the look on his face showed Shath that he was half recovered from drinking his booze. His hook wasn't on, so his sliced wrist revealed the scar he got from the flying boy; along with a few other scars he had got from past battles on his chest and arms.

"I was dreaming, Shath" he started to sit back up, "Of that day, I invited Jack to join us. Which was also the day he cut off my hand!" he paused to take a sip of what was left of his drink, "The hook I received has come in handy. Help me to get it on, Shath."

Shath did what he was told. He helped his captain with the straps behind his back as Pitch slid the prosthesis over his sliced wrist and tightened the harness on the shoulder pad. Once it was settled, fitted and tightened, he placed his dark crystal hook on the prosthesis wrist. The one he uses to control and awaken his Nightmares.

"There you go, sir!" Shath finished. "All fitted and everything, it really does suit you. I'm sure you owe him very much!"

Pitch's golden eyes turned cold as he turned to face his first mate, his dark hook glowed as his Nightmares began to appear in the room.

"After he had cut off my hand with a dagger, he threw it into the forest and it landed in the Demon bear's mouth! The beast enjoyed it so much; he began to hunt me down for the rest of me!"

Shath backed away as his captain slowly came up to him, with his hook raised.

"YOU CALL THAT A FAVOUR!" he yelled, with all of his rage.

"No- No Captain" Shath begged. He flinched as Pitch's hook came closer to his face, but he only lifted Shath's glasses back into place. "Thank you, Captain!" He was grateful and lucky that his captain spared his life.

"It's thanks to you that we always know when and where that beast is when you had thrown that crystal at it!" Pitch then walked over to his map of the island. "It was a waste of gold to get it in the first place, but where ever that beast goes, withered life follows! See withered plants and cracked stones, Mor'du is close! Now why did you wake me in the first place?"

"Like I said, Captain, we just cleaned the ship, but the cold hasn't left us and the clouds just above us are filling up with snow, in a straight line!"

Shath didn't need to tell him what it all meant, he already knew the answer. "He's back!"

Pitch then throw Shath his coat so he can help him to get it on. But there is still one more thing that Pitch needs to know!

"And he's not alone! I'm not just talking about his pixie, he has brought not just one, but four back with him! Three little boys and a red-headed girl."

Jack and Merida stopped the triplets before they jumped onto anymore clouds. They could see the pirates from where they were and Jack used his ice to make three ice telescopes to keep them still. The triplets watched in amazement as they laid their eyes on the characters from their sister's stories. The members of the crew looked exactly how their sister described them, they giggled as they watched them scrape the ice off their ship.

"Captain Black Hook!" Harris gasped, as he spotted the captain.

Merida and Baby Tooth backed the triplets away from the edge as Jack used one of the telescopes to keep an eye on Pitch's movements. He saw Pitch smiling at them before he put his own telescope close to his eye. Jack looked at the cloud they were on, it was filling up with snow and so were the clouds they were on earlier. They were sitting ducks thanks to the cloud that was still building up with snow.

"Get Merida and her brothers to the island!" he told Baby Tooth, "I'll slow these sea rats down to give you a head start and don't get any 'falling' ideas!"

Baby Tooth squeak-chirped in protest. It's true she tricked the lost children once or twice to make their female guests fall from the sky; but Merida is different. If she and her brothers are the ones her queen spoke of, she can't afford anything to happen to them!

She signalled the four to follow her as Jack flew down to the ship. The pirates drew their attentions towards him as the five raced to the island. Pitch let his men deal with Jack as he makes his way to the back of the ship to get a better look of the four. He knew that they hadn't had as much practise flying as Jack; so his nightmares will have no trouble taking care of them.

He pulled a vial with a horse shaped lid from his coat and placed it near his lips. His hook glowed a little as the dark sand in the vial started to move; like it was possessed.

"Take them!" he whispered to it, before he flipped the lid open.

The sand took the form of four dark sandy horses with cold dark golden eyes. Pitch tapped his hook as it glowed brighter, making the sandy monsters go after Merida and her brothers. Jack saw what was happening and rushed over to stop them, but one of the pirates' lassoed Jack's left ankle and pulled him closer to the ship.

The other pirates helped him as Jack fought back and tried to get free. Pitch saw Jack's predicament as he turned his attention away from the four, he chuckled as he felt like he was finally getting his revenge. He took his time as he got his pistol ready, Shath and the rest of the pirates cheered and raised their swords in the air.

Jack could hear Merida and her brothers' cries over the pirates' cheers as he tried to get free to save them, so he froze part of the rope and once it was frozen solid he wacked it with his staff. The frozen part of the rope shattered sending Jack flying higher into the air and the pirates to collapse. Pitch was furious and tried to shoot Jack as he flew back to the island.

"Fine," Pitch snarled after his four shots missed, "If we can't make you stay long enough, then we'll give you a reason to stay long enough for me to strangle you!" Pitch turned to his crew, "Sail around the island, we have a guest to pick up!"

Pitch sent two more of his dark sand horses ahead of them as his crew got themselves ready. The two creatures knew what their master needs them to do; they might be out numbered when they arrive, but they'll be too small and powerless to stop them from completing their task.

Merida and her brothers did their best to keep up with Baby Tooth as the dark sand monsters chased after them. Merida looked back to see if her brothers were catching up; and when the corner of her eyes caught the monsters chasing them, she felt like she was in one of her stories. The one where Jack tries to get one of his men to safety, while two of Pitch's monsters chased after them. Jack's words about her stories coming to life on the island seemed to be true; and she was living it!

They finally reached the island and the monsters were catching up to them. Merida tried to remember the rest of the story, hoping that it could help them shake those monsters off and her memory was jogged in a flash as an arrow flew passed her.

Merida remembered that Jack is the leader of the lost children and in her and her mother's stories they always had their leader's back when he was on the island and over the forest. The four did their best to dodge the incoming arrows and stones as they were being shot into the sky.

Baby Tooth did her best to lead the four through the fire of arrows as the monsters tried to get them before they disappeared, as the arrows and stones were slowing weakening them as they passed through their sandy bodies. As the five were reaching for the trees, Hamish dropped from the skies a bit before he started to hover again. His brothers and sister were also losing the ability to fly; their fear of the monsters was driving their hope, wonder, dreams and happy memories away and the fear of falling in midair wasn't helping them stay afloat.

Baby Tooth tried to tell Merida and her brothers to let go of their fear, but they couldn't understand her and a passing arrow gave them a frightening shock. The shock made the DunBroch siblings lose the ability to fly as they fell to the ground. Baby Tooth flew passed them as she raced into the trees.

The monsters faded away like they were heading back to their master. Merida had always loved the feel of the wind through her hair, but the feel of the wind as she fell to her death didn't calm her or her brothers. The triplets were falling faster than their sister and they were the first to hit the trees and as they went through the top leafs they landed in a net!

Merida past the tree her brothers were in and she was inches away from hitting the ground. But in a cold gust of wind Jack flew in and caught her just in time. Merida wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself and buried her face on his shoulder as Jack slowly landed them on top of a large boulder.

The triplets were just about to climb out of the net and then down one of the trees holding it up, but the net lowered itself down. The brothers looked up to find Baby Tooth and four other kids pulling on vines that were attached to the net. Once the brothers were safely on the ground, three other kids came out of the bushes just as the other four climbed down.

By that time Merida finally calmed down and lifted her head off Jack, she looked up at him as he looked at her. Merida had never been so scared in her entire life and she had thought it was all over for her until Jack saved her.

"You saved me!" Merida slowly breathed.

"All in a days work" Jack chuckled, as he put her down.

"Did fear get to them while flying, Jack?" asked one of boys.

"We thought that you stopped bringing believers here?" the boy's brother added.

"Believers?" Hamish and Harris asked.

"People that believe in the Neverland lords" a tough girl in pink explained.

"I don't think that you met my men?" Jack changed the subject.

"We just got here!" Jack and his men chuckled at Merida's response.

"True! Men this is Merida, Hubert, Hamish and Harris DunBroch. Merida is the one who told the best stories about us!"

Merida blushed as the children talked amongst themselves in amazement, like she was famous and well known. One of them had Jack's staff in his hands; Jack must have dropped it so he could use both of his hands to catch and save Merida.

The boy handed the staff back to its owner. Jack ruffled his hair like he was his little brother. "This is Jamie Bennett!" Jack started to introduce his men, "He and his little sister, Sophie were the first to join me. It was just the three of us until Caleb and Claude wanted to join in the fun, Monty had shut himself in his shell when we met. Pippa had a fight and ran off, the same with Cupcake. People didn't think that a strong girl like her shouldn't be into pink and unicorns, so we took her in."

"And became the Lost Children!" Hubert cheered.

The children nodded, they looked exactly how Merida's mother described them in her stories. Four boys and three girls, but what Caleb said about fear and flying still confused her.

"What did Caleb mean about our 'fear getting to us' and what does it have to do with flying?"

"Fear is what gives the Black Hook Captain his strength," Jack started to explain, "Just like Wonder, Hope, Dreams and Memories helps us fly and gives the four lords their strength!"

"Why's that?" Harris asked.

"Because the Lords are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman and the Tooth Fairy!" Jamie explained.

"And the captain is the Bogyman" Claude added.

Merida and her brothers were amazed at what they were told, they never truly knew who the lords and the villain from their stories were until now. Merida wanted to ask Jack more about the island and its lords, but before she could utter a word Jack jumped off of the boulder and got his men to hide behind him.

Merida wasn't sure what was going on, Jack looked serious while his men looked frightened as they faced the direction of a cold breeze. The triplets were getting frightened themselves, the breeze felt cold and lifeless, like death was coming their way. Merida thought back to both her and her mother's stories for answers; why was Jack and his men scared of a cold breeze, ice follows Jack where ever he goes, especially on Pitch's ship as a parting gift. Merida giggled a bit when she remembered the time she had Jack give that captain a fright when he had used his ice to make a replica of...

Merida back away when she realised 'who' was coming their way. She whispered his name as Jack turned to face them.

"Run" he whispered.

Immediately both he and his men dashed to a round flat stone. Merida and her brothers weren't sure why they didn't try to push their fear away so they could fly away or why Jack was thumping his foot on the ground like a rabbit.

Suddenly the stone glowed forest green and lifted itself off the ground an inch before it floated down revealing a green underground tunnel. Jamie pushed both his sister and Pippa onto the stone so they could be the first down. Baby Tooth sat herself on Pippa's shoulder so they'll have someone with them, until the others joined them.

The moment the stone was on the tunnel's floor, Jack grabbed Merida's arm. "Give me a hand!" he asked, but to her it sounded like he was begging.

Merida nodded as calmly as she could, she didn't want to make their fears worse. Jack handed her his staff before he lowered her down the tunnel. She handed it to Pippa when Jack joined them. Then one by one the two of them caught the rest of the Lost Children and the DunBroch Triplets as they jumped down.

When the last of them were down Jack backed them away from the stone, but before he could send it back up he paused and turned to face a group of rabbits. Merida was told that half of the forest is owned by the Aster Tribe, a tribe of warrior rabbits. But Elinor told her that they were bigger and had a human posture; while these ones are small and look like the rabbits they see in the pet shop window back home.

Sophie giggled as a purple rabbit hopped over and thumped it's foot. The stone glowed and started to hover back to its place; it glowed again as it sealed itself. Sophie wanted to hug the rabbit, but her brother held her back as if to say 'wait a minute?'

The rabbit knelt forward as it's back legs grew bigger. Merida and her brother gasped as the rest of the rabbit's body grew bigger and the other rabbits with it were going the same. Wristbands, weapons and other items appeared on their bodies as they kept growing. Once the rabbits were no longer small, they shook themselves before standing on two strong legs. Jamie removed his hand so Sophie could give them a hug.

As the large purple rabbit with the crossbow on it's back picked the little girl up, Merida knew that they were the Aster tribe and that one of them is the Easter Bunny, the chief of the tribe and the lord of Hope. Jack and his men were calm through the whole thing; they have been on the island longer so they must have seen their transformation more than once.

"Hello Jack Frost!" the rabbit greeted in a female voice.

"Hello Viola Bunny!"

* * *

 ** _Viola Bunny is OC that belongs a Deviantart member called, Dragonauroralight; I'm borrowing her for the story._**


	5. Ch4 Secrets and Feathers

The fear they had earlier seemed to have disappeared with the Aster tribe's arrival and this "Viola Bunny" might be one of the Neverland lords? The rest of the tribe looked at Jack like they were proud and surprised that he hadn't froze anything in the forest above him. Elinor did tell Merida in one of her stories that Jack sometimes freezes the tribe's half of the forest during a battle with Pitch's crew or to wind their chief up.

Viola looked fond of little Sophie from the way she let her play with her long purple ears and her silver earrings. The two groups were silent with only giggles echoing the tunnel until...

"Are you the Easter Bunny?" Harris asked Viola.

The two sides started to laugh. In other words Viola isn't the lord of hope.

"I'm his general! I help him take care of both our tribe and home, I also help him to make sure that _frosty_ here doesn't misbehave and freeze our part of the forest!" Viola eyed Jack.

Jack glared at her and before he could defend himself the ceiling in the far back of the tunnel started to turn black. Their fear from earlier came back; even underground they weren't safe from him.

"Mor'du" Jack, Viola and Merida uttered at once.

"You won't make it to the Warren on time!" Jack warned Viola, "Our hideout is much closer!"

Viola removed her crossbow from her back, handed it to Jamie before placing his sister on her back and getting onto all fours. "Get On!"

Jamie joined his sister while the others jumped onto the other rabbits' backs. Merida was too big for them to run/hop down the tunnel on their four's, so Jack handed her his staff before picking her up in his arms and started to hover above the ground.

Baby Tooth squeaked a cry as the blight was getting closer to them, she span around Jack to place more of her dust on him before nesting herself on his shoulder. Merida could see that the pixie didn't want Mor'du blight reaching her wingless friend.

"I know that you know these tunnels like the back of your paws, but we know a short cut!" Jack advised Viola, "We have run drills down here and above ground since you and Bunny allowed us access!"

With the blight getting closer to them Viola nodded and the two groups raced down the tunnel before the blight could touch and devour them. Merida's mother had told her of a demon bear roaming the island and that ever since it swallowed a dark powerful stone it drains the island and those near it of life. The Aster tribe trace the bear's steps as they use some kind of forest magic to bring life back to their home, until they find a way to slay the beast.

It must have been what Viola and her group were doing before racing down to their tunnels. Merida was also told that Mor'du is the demon bear from her favourite story, from the show they just saw at the theatre and that it was Pitch who'd brought it to life; so it could help him overthrow the island's four leaders. But Mor'du turned on him; long before he was fed the captain's hand.

Merida could see the seriousness in Jack's eyes as they raced to his hideout and away from the coming blight. She couldn't blame him, no one wants their lives to be sucked right of them by just being near the demon and Jack doesn't want it to happen to any of his men.

Merida jolted when Jack skidded as he tried to land and twisted his right ankle. Jack pushed the pain aside as he put Merida down so he could place his hand on a large frozen ice patch on one of the tunnel's walls. The others behind them stopped as the frost glowed and revealed another tunnel, but it was shorter and they could see the end of it.

Merida helped Jack down the newly opened tunnel and as they reached the end her eyes laid upon the hideout she had told her brothers about. She wanted to look around, but everyone's safety comes first and she would like to tend to Jack's ankle.

Once everyone was inside, Jack sealed the door to the tunnels and then made his way to the centre of the room. He slammed his staff and an energy of ice surrounded them, strengthening the seal to the tunnels and making the crystal shards in the hideout's walls glow. Jack kept his staff where it was while everyone else huddled together, like they were waiting for the danger to pass or to prepare themselves for the worst.

Merida slowly made her way to Jack, so she could steady him if the pain makes him fall to his knees. The tension made her walk slower than she has ever walked before, like the world was starting to move in slow motion; but her speed returned when Jack removed his staff and everyone in the room felt relieved, like they could breathe again. Mor'du had passed them without taking any of their lives as the bear moved on.

"We were lucky," Viola Bunny broke the silence, "But we have a lot of its mess to clean up and to make sure that it doesn't go near the Warren!"

"I don't think that I'll be flying for a while!" Monty slowly breathed, to calm his racing heart.

Jack was about to calm him, but he flinched when he moved his sore ankle and started to hover to take the strain off it. Before he could go back to what he was about to do, Merida dragged him to a mushroom like seat and placed him down on it. The Lost Children and the Aster tribe watched from afar as Merida examined Jack's ankle.

"This isn't the first time, is it?" Merida chuckled. She could tell by his actions and how he had sprinkled ice on his feet back at her house.

"It doesn't last long and the pain goes away faster once I place ice on it!" Jack explained while stroking his ankle with his icy touch.

"In other words you've never heard of no pain, no gain. You've never let someone else take care of you and give you a kiss to make it better!" Merida started to untie her green hair ribbon.

"What's a kiss and how does it make things better?"

Merida chuckled. "Do you know what a kiss is?"

"I would if you gave me one!"

At first Merida thought that he was joking, but he wasn't. She wasn't keen on kissing or being kissed and she and Jack hadn't known each other for very long. She wasn't keen on kissing his bare feet, so not wanting to hurt his feelings and to treat his ankle, Merida wrapped her hair ribbon around it.

"A kiss is like a gift, to show that you care for someone and you can keep it close to your heart!" Merida tried to explain.

It was half true, but Jack seemed to understand as he examined the 'kiss' wrapped around his ankle. He looked back at Merida before asking her.

"Should I give you a kiss back?"

Merida blushed at the thought, before remembering that Jack doesn't know what a proper kiss is.

"If you want to" Merida pushed her red hair off of her face.

Jack picked up his staff and placed it's hook into one of the holes in the tree's root like walls and pulled out a thread that was attached to a small bottle. The glass bottle held small, shattered, crystal shards, like the ones in the hideout's walls; but the shards weren't glowing and looked faded, like they had lost their power. Jack examined the shards and jiggled them around a bit before removing the cork and poring the shards into his hand, until the biggest shard came out.

He placed the shard he wanted between his teeth as he put the smaller shards away. Merida chuckled when Jack looked back at her, with the shard in his mouth; it made him look like he was smoking a cigar. Jack wasn't sure why she was laughing, but he put the bottle down, took the shard out of his mouth and wiped the tip clean before handing it for to her.

"Thank you!"

Merida's brothers chuckled at her like she just got a gift from her boyfriend. Even some members of the Aster Tribe started to laugh.

"You must really like her stories to make you give her a core shard as a 'kiss,' eh Jack?" Viola tested.

The purple rabbit was about to have more of a laugh, but Baby Tooth zoomed up to her face and gave her a lecture. "He has fun with our chief and tribe, so it seems fair to have a little fun with him!" Viola barked back.

"Core Shard?" Merida asked, before the other two could kill each other.

"Remains of Core Stones!" Cupcake explained. "There's a witch in the forest that makes Core Stones of Earth, Fire, Wind and Ice and once the stones use all of their power they shatter into shards."

"Which means that we should check on ours!" Jack got back onto his feet and made his way back to the centre.

Merida and her brothers followed him to see the stone for themselves. Jack placed his hand on the blue stone circle on the floor before pressing it down to reveal a secret compartment that held a glowing icy blue stone with wave like markings. The glow was like a heartbeat that surrounds the room like waves as Jack started to softly stroke it, as if he was looking for cracks.

Jack smiled as he softly pressed the stone down to reseal it. "It may have used a lot of its strength today, but it still has a lot of fight left before it gives out."

"Then I recommend that you fetch a new one in case that fight 'gives' out at the _wrong_ time," Viola suggested, "That stone is what keeps Pitch and his crew from finding this place and from Mor'du taking the life out of this tree hole!"

"Then you and your group should go back to your work before you and your tribes Earth Stones gives out!" Jack smirked.

Viola checked the small green stone on her belt before looking back at him. "We're careful with ours, Frost and I can hear our brothers just above us. Thanks for letting us take shelter here and a chance for a short rest, but we should get going before it gets dark!"

"That's when the Black Hooked Captain's power is strongest" Monty uttered.

"There is still light in the sky, Monty, so why don't you and the others go with Viola" Jack suggested. "I'm sure that the red head brothers would like to meet the chief and see the Easter Bunny's Warren; I'm taking Baby Tooth and Merida to the Valley of Wings. The Fairy Queen of Teeth and the Lord of Memories can turn that shard into a necklace!"

"The Chief has said that he would like to see little Sophie again. Alright we'll take them there and they can stay until tomorrow! Even the tunnels can become dangerous when it gets dark."

"Thanks, Viola!" Jamie burst with excitement.

Viola and her group took the triplets and the Lost Children to the surface to let the other Aster Group know that they're alright and what's going on. While Jack and Baby Tooth brought Merida to the Kingdom of the Tooth Fairies.

Viola's group brought the Children back to their home, while the other group continued to cure the forest of the demon's blight. There was no danger on the surface and the path was clear, but Viola couldn't shake the chill from her back. A chill she gets when someone she knows is in danger. She made herself go even faster, to see and make sure that it wasn't her chief.

The triplets' eyes widened when they arrived at the Warren. It was pure green with stone pillars with patterned eggs and rabbits on top and large stone, moss covered eggs with faces carved on them. There were burrow like houses and the plants and streams leave paint on the tribes' younglings' paws as they played and touched them with white plain eggs and other objects. Many of the rabbit like people welcomed the group home. The only one with light blue fur and dark blue markings hopped towards them and picked up little giggling Sophie.

"He's the Lord of Hope and the Easter Bunny: E. Aster Bunnymund" Jamie introduced the DunBrochs to the large blue rabbit.

"But everyone calls him Bunny!" Claude added.

Bunny smiled and chuckled as the little Bennett rubbed his nose, but his smile faded away when he saw the look on his General's face. It may be the face of relief, but her eyes were filled with worry.

"What's wrong Viola?"

"I had one of my feelings Chief, the feeling of someone in danger. I'm glad that it wasn't you or the tribe. Both us and Frost had cut it close with the beast earlier."

"Your feelings haven't steered us wrong yet." Bunny placed his paw on her shoulder. He then got a glimpse of the triplets. "And it looks like Frosty has started to bring back story telling Believers again. Their stories must be extra good!"

"Actually their sister is the story teller!" Caleb explained, "Her stories have been coming to life in many of our past battles with Nightmare Hook."

"Sister?! Are you saying that he brought 'four' back with him?"

The whole warren stopped what they were doing and turned to their Chief and the three red-headed brothers.

"Yes," said a member of Viola's group. "We saw her when we encountered Frost and his men."

"Where is she now, with North?"

"No," Viola answered, "Frost is taking her to Toothiana as we speak. So she could turn an old ice core shard into a little trinket."

"Tooth? Why not go to North to tu-" Bunny stopped himself when he remembered why. "That boy needs to grow up and understand that he wasn't given powers over ice so he could play and fool around like the child he is pretending to be."

"What are you talking about?" Hamish asked.

"And why are you talking about Merida like she's someone special?" Harris added.

"Who is North and what about Jack's ice and fun?" Hubert also wanted to know.

"You don't know?" Bunny was "half" surprised.

"They just got here!" Pippa explained.

"And he didn't explain on the way?"

"He must have brought them here for their stories rather than for the prophesy" Viola rolled her eyes.

"Prophesy?" the triplets asked.

When the Aster Tribe was explaining to the triplets, Baby Tooth was telling Jack and Merida to "hurry up", she wanted to see her friends and Queen again, and to tell her the good news. Her friend has brought the four at last. Jack took his time as he helped Merida get better at her flying, she was getting better but she still needed help to stay afloat as the thought of Mor'du kept coming back to her. Merida was grateful for Jack taking his time with her, but the moment they heard Baby Tooth scream-squeak, he picked her up in his arms once again and leaped into the air as the Valley of Wings came into view.

The valley was scarred with black sand and its pixies and queen were nowhere to been seen. Even when the dark sand told them that this was Pitch's doing and that his Nightmares might still be there waiting for them, they still headed down to see if they could help and drive any remaining Nightmares away.

The tree's leafs were pink with gold trunks and the outside of the castle (that she had caught a glimpse of earlier) looked like it was a part of the mountain that it was attached to, with some of its towers sticking slightly out. Even when she couldn't see much of the inside of it from the small entrance like window, Merida knew that it was full of towers hanging upside down from the ceilings and from what her mother had told her they serve as the fairies' nests and keep the teeth they collect safe.

"Stay with her!" Jack told Baby Tooth, before flying into the mountain.

Merida didn't like being left behind and before she could persuade Baby Tooth to sprinkle more of her dust on her they heard three thuds coming from behind them. The two turned to find Bunny and two male members of his tribe. The look Bunny was giving them was making Merida feel like he was expecting her.

"Has something happened to my brothers?" she asked to break the silence.

"They're fine!" the Lord of Hope spoke, "Viola had one of her feelings and one of the island's bravest fairies came to us for help. She's resting with Frost's little men!"

"Viola!? You're the Easter Bunny and chief of the Aster Tribe!" Merida gasped, while Baby Tooth shook her head in disbelief.

"I am, Merida DunBroch, and before you ask 'how I know your name,' your brothers told me before we took off!"

The way Bunny had said her name was making her feel a little uncomfortable, like the way he and his friends were looking at her. Like they knew Jack would someday bring her to Neverland.

"He never told you, Merida?" Bunny broke her out of her thoughts.

"Tell me what?"

Instead of telling her, Bunny thumped his foot three times to open a hole in the ground, like the entrance to the tunnels. He signalled her to jump into it before looking up at the mountain; Merida looked up at the mountain too before looking back at the hole. Baby Tooth nodded a yes as she sat herself on her shoulder: the tunnel would allow her to enter the palace and join Jack.

"Lady's first!" one of Bunny's scouts spoke. "We need to drop this stone off, while seeing if the Queen is alright!"

Merida took a breath before jumping into the hole and sliding down the green tunnel as she landed at Jack's feet. Jack turned to face her the moment he heard her land behind him, Baby Tooth was trying not to laugh while fluttering and the Aster Tribe members landed firmly on their feet.

"Merida?" he gasped, while the fairies behind him stared at her as Jack helped her up.

"Where's Toothiana?" the second Aster scout asked the white haired boy.

"They took her!" Jack said firmly, while staring at Bunny. Like he knew what he had told Merida and was up too.

"Pitch?" Bunny was shocked to hear this. Three of the feathered pixies nodded.

"But want about the stone?" Merida asked, "If you and the tribe have one to keep your homes safe, then why didn't hers?"

"There was word that it was about to give out before I headed out to get my shadow back!" Jack turned to face the worried and scared fairies. "The Nightmares kept pushing themselves into their part of the island until the stone could no longer keep them safe." He pulled gray glass shards from his pocket to show them.

"Tooth told them to hide while she fought them off. She was hoping that help would come, but 'we' came too late!"

" **IF** you knew about their Wind Stone, then why didn't you fetch them a new one?" the chief snapped. "It's like a hop, skip and a jump for you and your 'light' feet!"

"I had no idea that Pitch knew about the stone or would attack them!"

Jack and Bunny kept glaring at each other, until Baby Tooth told them to knock it off. She sensed that the Aster Tribe has brought a new stone for the palace and Jack and Merida can help her friends to place it.

"She's right!" as Bunny took the stone out of a small pouch. "You two can place this in its new home and keep these little ladies safe while we fetch the other Lords!"

"Fetch the others?" Jack uttered, as he was given the stone. "But we should track them down while we still can! Pitch has brought many dark and haunting islands and hideouts to life, it would take days to search them all while Pitch does who knows what to her!"

Baby Tooth and the other pixies agreed with Jack. They want their Queen saved before something terrible happens to her; Pitch isn't known to be gentle with his prisoners and Jack didn't want to say it out loud, but he had a feeling that Pitch captured her to get to him. The two are good friends and she was one of the first lords to welcome him to the island.

"I understand you're concerned, Jack" Bunny tried to easy him. "She's my friend too, but we can't just go charging in without a plan. A plan that is more than just 'saving her' from hooky and his crew!"

Jack wanted to say more, but Merida stopped him when she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Let's make this place safe again!" she told him.

Jack looked at the stone and then up at the pixies. Tooth would never forgive him if her fairies were left defenceless because he cared more about her than them. The moment Jack nodded; Bunny and his scouts made an entrance to the tunnels appear before hopping into it.

Jack was silent as he helped the pixies place the stone into the heart of their home. Merida knew that he was worried about the Lord of Memories and the Tooth Fairy Queen; yes she knew who Toothiana (A.K.A. Tooth) is from her mother's stories and in them the two are very close friends.

"I'm sure that the stone can keep them safe while we save Tooth!" Merida tried to cheer Jack up and bring hope to the Pixies.

"This is not a story, Merida. Even when this island can bring them to life, we still don't know where they took her and telling or making a story about this moment and where they might take her, won't change anything!"

"The Jack Frost I tell my brothers about each night would never give up or let anything happen to his friends. Yes, I'm new to flying and being on the island in person, rather than coming here in my mind while we play in the bedroom back home. But glimpses and memories of both my mother's and my own past stories have been guiding me since I got here!"

After the stone was fitted and blew a gentle breeze around them, Jack thought about what Merida had said as the stone sealed it's self away within the walls of the Palace. Some ideas and the events that happen to him on the island are from people's stories of him, but most of them were from him and him alone. Neverland is his home and the people on the island are his friends; he wasn't going to let Pitch or anyone else harm them.

Then a bright light shone through the window like entrance and shined it's light into Merida's hands. Merida felt something form into her hands and grasp it as the light took the form of a longbow, with four coloured gems of green, red, grey and icy blue above the handle. The blue, green and grey gems were the same shade as the core stones that she has seen and knows that they hold the powers of Ice, Earth and Wind. While the red gem's shade and warm touch told her that it held the power of fire; but which one of the lords would hold fire? Jack smiled while the other fairies gleamed with delight, like they knew what the bow was and can do.

"That bow is from one of Katherine's stories. It has the power to fill arrows with the same kind of magic that are in the stones."

"Katherine?" This was the first time that Merida has ever heard that name.

"The one that brings your and other people's stories to the island!"

Another kind of light shined through the window and Jack, Baby Tooth and Merida flew up to it, to see what the light was trying to tell them. The light was coming from a star that was shining brighter than the others and there were a few others next to it in a straight line.

"She wants us to save her" Merida gleamed, like her prayers were answered for the first time.

"Not just her" Jack uttered under his breath, so Merida wouldn't hear him. He then gently grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Let's go save a Queen!"

The three then followed the stars to Tooth's location, while the other fairies stayed behind and cheered the heroes on. If anyone can save their Queen, it's Jack Frost.

* * *

 _ **So the Aster Tribe are playing the role of Neverland's Indians, even when Tooth is in a "Tiger Lily possession", Mor'du is our "crocodile" for the story, Jack gets a ribbon instead of a thimble for a "kiss", Katherine is the first of the Guardians of Childhood book characters to join us and the four Element Charms from the Pixar Brave Video Game are being used for the island's Core Stones.**_


End file.
